Surety professionals often say that one of the things they love about the surety industry is that no day is the same. No space embodies that sentiment more than the diverse array of industries and numerous types of bonds that compose Commercial Surety! With this diverse bonding landscape, there is always something new to learn! That is what makes the Commercial Surety Committee’s role so important. The Commercial Surety Committee and its members work to inform and educate members and the industry about Commercial Surety through educational programs, various media, and legislative information. The Committee’s communications emphasize how Commercial Surety products can be a lucrative market for surety bond producers.

Committee members have worked to build and update the Commercial Surety Resource Center, which contains curated resources focused on Commercial Surety. Included are Virtual Seminars, articles, the public bonding toolkit, and much more. The most recently added resource developed by the Committee is a Commercial Surety Slide set that bond producers in the commercial surety space can use to share information and benefits related to commercial surety bonds with their insurance colleagues.

To help fulfill the Commercial Surety Committee’s goal to educate about commercial surety, the Committee often partners with NASBP’s Professional Development Committee to build the content and act as faculty for NASBP’s Commercial Surety School Level I that launched in 2018 and has had sold out classes ever since! You can register now for the next Commercial Surety School Level I class scheduled to take place at NASBP’s 2023 Winter Surety School, in Sugarland, Texas, January 24- 27. Committee members are currently working to finalize the content for the Commercial Surety School Level II class that will be launched at NASBP’s 2023 Summer School, in Rosemont, Illinois, the week of July 30, so keep your eyes peeled for registration opening in late February 2023.

In addition to the immersive in-person experience offered at the Commercial Surety Schools, the Committee also works to develop and update content for the online CE courses. For instance, committee members reviewed and updated the “Commercial Surety: An Introduction” (previously called Commercial Surety Fundamentals) course, which was just updated and re-released this fall, as well as finding speakers and great topics for NASBP Virtual Seminars and the NASBP Let’s Get Surety podcasts!

Beyond educating others, Commercial Surety Committee Members also have the opportunity to network and share information with each other and often spend time in committee meetings discussing issues that are affecting the Commercial Surety space, such as updates on new bond forms, issues, and legislation changes that affect commercial surety, as well as updates from the SFAA Commercial Surety Advisory Committee liaison to name a few!

If you are practicing in the Commercial Surety space or interested in getting more involved in the Commercial Surety space, there is no better way to network with other Commercial Surety professionals, stay up-to-date on Commercial Surety issues, share, and educate on Commercial Surety than to join the Commercial Surety Committee! Which you will see reflected in these quotations from the NASBP Commercial Surety Committee Leadership:

We all know that surety is a small world, but Commercial Surety is its own microcosm. Prior to joining this Committee, my perspective was limited to the handful of commercial brokers within my organization and the underwriters in my area. Being able to access the knowledge and experience of other commercial-focused members from around the country these past few years has been invaluable to me. Every time I walk away from a meeting, I’m reminded of the Socrates quotation, “The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing,” because I feel like I’m continually learning something new and benefiting from the expertise of my fellow committee members. Participating and networking with the Commercial Surety Committee has been one of my favorite parts of NASBP.

Robin Amstutz, Commercial Surety Committee Chair

Committee work is a fantastic opportunity for professionals at any stage in their career to build presentation and leadership skills; expand credibility and expertise in highly specialized topics and create meaningful relationships with fellow Commercial Surety professionals from every region. My favorite part has been getting the inside scoop on special projects that involve responding to new legislation or working with an obligee on a tough bond requirement. It’s inspiring to watch our committee members working together and with other organizations like the SFAA to look out for our membership and our clients and keep the industry vibrant.

Liz Hahn, Vice Chair, NASBP Commercial Surety Committee

Interested in joining the Commercial Surety Committee? Please contact the Commercial Surety Committee staff liaison, Kat Shamapande, Director of Professional Development, at kshamapand@nasbp.org. Fill out the Committee Interest Form. Learn about all of the NASBP Committees here.

This Pipeline article is the tenth in a series describing how NASBP Committees are the cornerstone foundation of the Association. See the CEO Column that introduced this series, which was published in the March/April 2021 issue. See other Pipeline articles that describe the NASBP Industry Relations Committee, Government Relations Committee, Membership Committee, Professional Development Committee, Automation and Technology Committee, 5-15 Leadership Committee, Small & Emerging Business Committee, Finance Committee, and International Committee. (NASBP login required.)